The incident took place aboard flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney on Friday, Nov. 25, according to the airline, which said no one suffered harm. Although the phone itself is in tough shape, as seen above.

Rex reported the matter regarding what appears to be an iPhone 4 to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for investigation.

Few smartphone headlines, other than those about the next iPhone model, generate buzz like an exploding device story, and this latest incident has started to catch fire in the wireless blogosphere at sites such as The Next Web.

About a year ago, a north Texas man reported that his Motorola Droid 2 smartphone exploded next to his ear as he was ending a call, resulting in a bloodied face and a trip to the hospital. Apple responded to claims of exploding iPhones in Europe in 2009, pointing fingers at customers. Battery makers have also come under fire for exploding cellphones.